The Best And Worst Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies Of All Time

We Ranked Every Arnold Movie, Ever. You're Welcome

Arnold Schwarzenegger. Name a bigger action star with a foreign accent. Wait, scratch that: name a bigger action star, period. Taking America by storm in the early 70s, Arnold clawed his way up from a simple Austrian weightlifter to a damned American legend in a matter of years.

He’s shot every gun, kicked down every door, thrown every bad guy off a roof, and handed everyone their asses on a platter—with a side of recklessness.

With Terminator Genysis on its way to the big screen to further cement his role as the only robot we care about, we thought it was high time to take a look back at this action star’s massive career. Curated for you, we took a look at every single one of Arnold’s starring roles (excluding cameos, TV appearances, and video game voices) and ranked them on a scale from not-that-incredible to incredible. Arnold’s never going away guys, but if he leaves...he’ll be back. See what I did there?

Sabotage (2014)

Role: Commander John 'Breacher' Warton

How do I put this lightly? Forget it; this movie is seriously bullsh*t. Literally last on the list. It’s our former Governor’s last starring role (until Terminator Genysis comes out) and it just feels trite. There’s barely a plot—I think there’s an elite DEA squad? It’s hard to say, but Arnold just is tired, too. But what else can you expect from a man who had to spend eight years bossing around those damn hippies in California? The trailer was also misleading, portraying it as an action-packed flick when it wasn't, meaning that moviegoers left just as confused and sleepy as the main actors.

Red Heat (1988)

Role: Captain Ivan Danko

Here’s the thing about 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger—he was fantastic, brilliant, strong, and scary, but those fat-cat big-wig movie studio executives were just dead set on sticking him in movies with the most unlikely co-stars. Danny DeVito, Brigitte Nielsen, and James Belushi? Belushi on his own is a pretty questionable star, but when stuck on screen with Schwarzenegger in Red Heat, he’s completely overshadowed.

We’ve got your basic “buddy cop comedy” plot: a Russian cop is forced to team up with a cocky Chicago detective to take down a Georgian drug lord. Does mayhem ensue? You bet your ass it does. The only problem is that’s it not especially funny. The director deliberately toned down Arnold’s role to make him less over-the-top and more believable. The problem was people wanted over-the-top Arnold. Hell, they always want him. They want to see a guy who can throw a bad guy through another bad guy. Arnold will never be too outlandish, that’s just the way he is, damn it.

The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980)

Role: Mickey Hargitay

It’s actually incredibly disconcerting to see Arnold Schwarzenegger in a role as passive as Mickey Hargitay in The Jayne Mansfield Story—but chances are, you’re never going to see this movie. So, let me summarize: this is a straight-to-TV movie starring Loni Anderson as Jayne Mansfield and Arnold Schwarzenegger playing Mansfield’s real-life bodybuilding second husband. The film is listed in the Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of the The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made—and it’s not exactly a surprise either. Schwarzenegger’s performance is awkward and alien, and the only semblance of the real Arnold in this made-for-TV movie is the love for weightlifting that Mickey shared with Arnold. Still, not a movie you’ll ever want to care about or watch.

Conan The Destroyer (1984)

Role: Conan

Conan the Barbarian is back and better than ever with his trusty sidekick...Wilt Chamberlain? Not all sequels can match the success of Terminator 2: Judgement Day and—man alive—this movie doesn’t hold up. If only 1984 Arnold knew it was all going to be okay. Conan the Destroyer is the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom of Arnold sequels; irrationally funny, badly cast, and just pretty painful to watch. Just check out the scene where Arnold fights a guy in a scary mask. Not a monster, it’s a guy in a mask—that’s apparently all the budget would allow for. Guess that’s all you can afford after you pay out the ass for the talents of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wilt Chamberlain. $5 on the guy in the scary mask being on the producer’s nephews—there’s no way a real actor would settle for such a menial role. Yet, in this economy...

Red Sonja (1985)

Role: Kalidor

"What the hell is this fantasy garbage?" That’s a question 80s Arnold Schwarzenegger should have asked every time he got handed a script to a movie like Red Sonja. Set in the same wolrd as his Conan movies, even Arnold knows how terrible this one was—he refers to this very movie as his worst and has remarked: “If this doesn't kill your career, nothing will." We’ve got Brigitte Nielson (of Brigitte and Flava Flav) playing some kind of erratic demigod who’s attacking people...or avenging something? It’s just too much crammed into one cheesy movie.

The 6th Day (2000)

Role: Adam Gibson/Adam Gibson clone

The 6th Day really grinds my gears. It is as if some hotshot executive in Hollywood looked at Terminator 2 and Total Recall and was like: “yeah, let’s just smash those two together and see what happens.” It’s a discount science fiction movie that takes place in a super lame future (where cigarettes are illegal?!) and covers the well-trodden territory of two Arnold Schwarzeneggers coming face to face to beat the living Austrian Christ out of each other. Actually, now that I think about it, there are a lot of movies where Arnold Schwarzenegger beats up Arnold Schwarzenegger—the best of which is definitely Last Action Hero—but we’ll get to that. Despite a rockstar cast, including well-known celebrities like...um...the Old Spice guy, The 6th Day just falls flat by relying on commonly-used tropes and tricks. I advocate a world where there are two Arnolds...but not like this. NOT LIKE THIS.

The Last Stand (2013)

Role: Sheriff Ray Owens

There really isn't much good you can say about The Last Stand. The plot is overdone, the characters are stale, the guns are huge, but the ammo falls flat. After his brief cameos in The Expendables 2, people were thrilled to see Arnold return with his first post-Gubernatorial leading role. With a body count of over 40, Arnold manages to make it work, but you can’t help but believe some of those bodies counted came from an audience who really didn’t want to sit through the rest of this film. Can ya blame them? Arnold Schwarzenegger with Johnny Knoxville? Really?!

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Role: The Terminator/T-850 Model 101

Without even seeing Terminator Genisys, audiences will surely agree that Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines should have just been put on hold and skipped for Genisys. Let’s call it as we see it: this movie was nothing but a strained attempt to revamp a franchise without a solid—or coherent—plot. It didn’t have the additional star-power of Terminator Salvation, and all it truly did was make Arnold look tired and old, and that's no way to view the former strongest man in the world.

Jingle All The Way (1996)

Role: Howard Langston

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad! What could possibly go wrong? Oh yeah, everything. I remember seeing Jingle All The Way in theaters at the tender young age of eight and being disappointed beyond my wildest dreams from the insane lack of sense and charisma this holiday movie tried desperately to convey. Maybe it was the plot, maybe it was the characters—hell, it was probably Sinbad, but this movie isn’t even good-bad, it’s just bad-bad. Just to give you guys an idea of what this movie sprung upon the world, there’s legitimately a Jingle All The Way 2 starring—wait for it—Larry the Cable Guy. So, just let that one roll around in your brain for a while. Kinda puts a sour taste in your mouth, eh? Like a candy cane covered in bird sh*t. It’s damn hard to get behind Arnold for inflicting this mess upon the world—Sinbad, on the other hand, we kinda expected this from him. It’s Sinbad—he literally has the word “bad” in his name.

Collateral Damage (2002)

Role: Gordy Brewer

Collateral Damage was one giant “ooooh too soon” for movies. Release only months after 9/11, this movie about terrorists (ouch) killing innocent civilians (yikes) just didn’t feel right. This was (kinda) solved by Warner Bros. who pulled all advertising for this movie after the attacks. So, when you have a movie with sensitive subject matter that hasn’t been promoted by the company behind it, you get a flop on your hands. And that’s what Collateral Damage was—another Arnold movie that could have been switched out for any other non-Terminator Arnold movie without anyone noticing. Just goes to show you, a movie should be able to stand up on its own regardless of external consequences. If a giant tidal wave was going to hit, I wouldn’t release a movie called Tsunami! unless I knew it had a killer plot that was silence all those damn critics.

Escape Plan (2013)

Role: Emil Rottmayer

Stallone and Schwarzenegger: together (again) at last! It’s fair to say that this movie falls into the category of forgettably good. Aside from TheExpendables, this is the first true movie co-starring the two action heroes. Unless you count that one scene from Last Action Hero where Schwarzenegger sees the cardboard cutout of Stallone as the Terminator and says “I love that guy!” That being said, Escape Plan probably happened 30 years too late. It’s an interesting prison break movie, but nothing terribly exciting happens. We’ve got Stallone and Schwarzenegger doing what they do best—hitting things—but why not stretch their abilities and go for the gold? Why couldn’t their first film feature a plot worth writing about, rather than a tired plot about yet another impossible-to-escape from prison that—gasp—can be escaped from. That being said, it’s not the worst and it’s exciting to see two former “rivals” together, even if they're just hitting things.

Junior (1994)

Role: Dr. Alex Hesse

Have you ever looked at a movie poster and just gone: “what the f*ck, Hollywood?” That was Junior. Even during that wildcard year of 1994, everybody knew how ridiculous this damn movie was. Following suit with Twins and Kindergarten Cop, we’ve got Arnold acting all funny in a comedy that brings him back together with unlikely sidekick Danny DeVito as a *sigh* pregnant man. I just don’t even know what to say about this movie. It must have been a shock for weightlifters and non-juicers alike to see their idol play a dude with a baby in his belly. If nothing else, Junior showed Arnold’s intentions of satisfying every member of his fanbase, most notably the members who sat around all day drinking plastic handles of vodka and wondering what would happen if the guy from Predator gave birth to a baby out of his c*ck. Your prayers have been answers, guys, your prayers have been answered.

Stay Hungry (1976)

Role: Joe Santo

Stay Hungry is to weightlifting as Breakin’ is to breakdancing—really nothing more than a vehicle to show the world a trend is happening. Coming out right around the time of Pumping Iron, we’ve got Hollywood’s very transparent attempt to build a movie around a cultural interest. IMDB lays it all out there: “Stay Hungry is about a syndicate [who] wants to buy a whole district to rebuild it. They've bought every house except the small gym "Olympic", where Mr. Austria Joe Santo prepares for the Mr. Universum championships a month ahead.” There it is, people—something happens, yada yada yada, Arnold Schwarzenegger shows off his muscles. If only young Arnold knew he would have decades to prove to the world of his name—it’s almost like he didn’t know he’d become a Terminator in only a few years. If only we could go back in time like Arnold in Terminator and Terminator 2 and tell him everything would be okay...

Twins (1988)

Role: Julius Benedict

Is “unsettling” the right word to use when describing Arnold’s comedy career? It’s not that he can’t perform comedy—we saw that in, uh, Jingle All The Way? It’s just that this movie, where a tall muscular blonde Austrian man plays Danny DeVito’s twin brother is just a little confusing. There it is! That’s the word, Twins is confusing. But hey, what do I know? I’m just a writer, I’m not the Hollywood fat cat that approved this film. But get this: for the past decade, Arnold has been lobbying to do a sequel called “Triplets” with—get this—Eddie Murphy, which Murphy has finally supposedly agreed to. So even if it wasn't a classic, you can thank Twins for giving birth (if you'll pardon the expression) to what will undoubtedly be a comedic masterpiece, right?

Raw Deal (1986)

Role: Mark Kaminsky aka Joseph P. Brenner

In Raw Deal, Arnold is a former (surprise!) F.B.I. agent named Mark Kaminski who gets kicked off the Bureau after a rough encounter with a suspect. He becomes the sheriff of a small town in North Carolina and has to take vengeance on the mafia after they kill the son of some hot woman. Raw Deal is the red Starbust of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies: not the best, but also not the worst. It satisfies the desire for action, but leaves the brain virtually untouched with its lack of direction and cliche storyline. There are some Arnold movies out there that could have easily been replaced with a two-hour-long shot of Arnold just beating a gang of dudes. It’s action and nothing more, so see it if you want, but don’t feel like you’re missing out on a pink Starbust if you don’t.

End Of Days (1999)

Role: Jericho Cane

Arnold Schwarzenegger has fought everyone and everything: Batman, Predator and Sinbad, so why not have him take a swing at Satan? It’s the only logical next step...right? Made during the height of the Chronophobia craze that swept the nation suspiciously close to the year 2000, we’ve got Arnold as Jericho Cane, an ex-cop (because what other kind is there?) who has to save New York City from the devil who has set up shop in the body of Gabriel Byrne. End of Days was Arnold’s first movie after a two-year hiatus attributed to heart surgery, but we all know he was in hiding from Batman & Robin’s Mr. Freeze—and you can kinda tell that he was in this movie to prove he could do it. This role could have easily gone to anyone else, but it’s Arnold being Arnold for the sole purpose of showing Arnold could be Arnold. Classic Arnold.

Hercules In New York (1969)

Role: John Matrix

What is there to say about Arnold Schwarzenegger is the late sixties/early seventies? You just kind of want to pat him on the back and go: “you’re doing great, buddy.” Hercules in New York tackles what Coming To America did so well so many years later: a movie about a fish out of water, where that water happens to be in *gasp* New York City. Still, this was Arnold’s film debut and you gotta show him a little love, even though the original release of this movie had his voice dubbed over. Yikes. It certainly isn’t a good movie, and audiences would go as far to say that it’s a bad movie—but not every action movie with a notable strongman can mesh muscles with words like how Enter The Dragon did. So, when watching Hercules in New York—a movie about a bored semi-god, just remember that this was Arnold’s first try. You’re doing great, buddy.

The Expendables 2 as Trench (2012)

Role: Trench

As the de facto follow-up to Last Action Hero (not really, but I’d like to think so) and the real life sequel to The Expendables, The Expendables 2 pokes fun at aging action movie stars by sticking all of them into one movie and having them kick the living sh*t out of everyone! Though his role is small, Arnold kills it on screen and overshadows Stallone, Jason Statham, Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and even Chuck Norris. Oh, and Jet Li—especially Jet Li. The main question was if these aging stars were too old to appear in a movie with such a high-octane plot and the question was definitively answered: nope.

Eraser (1996)

Role: U.S. Marshal John Kruger

There are a hearty handful of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies out there that exist simply to fulfil a quota—like how cops need to dole out a certain amount of parking tickets every year so they don’t get in trouble. That’s how I like to think of Eraser. It’s a basic movie with a basic plot that allows Arnold to do what he does best: act tough, shoot people, lift things, and scowl.

Of course, that’s why we love him, but it’s also apparent that he can do all of those things within a movie with an actual plot. Eraser just didn’t really try—you’ve got your cops, you’ve got your terrorists, you’ve got your nuclear weapons; technically it should be a good movie, but it’s just there...like old pizza or a speeding ticket. Eraser proved that Arnold can make even bad movie tolerable, but it also showed that Hollywood actors don’t always show the best judgment when choosing roles in movies—keep in mind, this man chose to be in Jingle All The Way.

Commando (1985)

Role: John Matrix

Commandois an Arnold Classic: guns, muscles, and ass-kicking. Schwarzenegger plays a retired (because, what other kind is there?) special agent named John Matrix who has to kill the jerks who kidnapped his daughter. And, spoiler alert: he does it. If you think about it, Commando is really just the last 15 minutes of True Lies in movie form. You’ve got a terrorist, you’ve got a daughter, you’ve got a kidnapped daughter: boom. Same movie. Props to Arnold for training in martial arts long enough to literally become a second-degree black belt in preparation for this movie. That’s some serious commitment. Commando is one of those action films that tends to get lost in the sea of awesome Arnold movies—which is kinda easy for the king of action. That being said, that’s exactly the reason why you should pay extra attention to Commando. Even though it doesn’t have the cred of Conan or Predator, add it to your list.

Conan The Barbarian (1982)

Role: Conan

Fun fact: during the production of Conan The Barbarian, Arnold had to tone down his workout routine, as his muscles were apparently so massive that he literally couldn't wield a sword properly. How’s that for a a badass hunk of truth? It’s hard for campy action movies like Conan to stand up to the test of time, but this does a hell of a fine job. It’s pure pre-pressure-of-being-a-great-actor-Arnold: he’s rough, he’s rippling, he’s killer, he’s kickass. The movie is, of course, over the top—even the trailer needs to be toned down, but this isn’t a movie you give up on. If you think of every movie made before The Terminator as training for Arnold to reach his legend status, Conan The Barbarian is part of that sweet, sweet formula that hoisted some foreign dude from a bodybuilder to a movie star. After getting into shape for Conan, Schwarzenegger won the 1980 Mr. Olympia contest, giving him clout in the world of muscles as well as in Hollywood.

Pumping Iron (1977)

Role: Himself

Pumping Iron was America’s introduction to a man who was truly passionate about lifting weights. This version of Arnold isn’t peak Schwarzenegger; in fact, he often comes out as somewhat of a derp, especially when he’s talking about how lifting weights is synonymous with ejaculation. It’s actually pretty hard to believe that such a weirdo would become one of America’s biggest action movie stars—let alone the Governor of a legitimate American state. According to Pumping Iron, Arnold has nothing more in his head that a brain that debatably been hit with dumbbells one too many times. Regardless, you can’t look away from those bulging muscles; his body was absolutely wracked with strength at the tender age of 30. It’s no shock that Arnold would land a starring role in a movie only five years late with Conan the Barbarian.

The Running Man (1987)

Role: Ben Richards

The Running Man is an Arnold classic and one of the best movies to tackle that whole “your death will be a publicly-viewed game show” trope that The Hunger Games did so well. I mean, this one is a classic that actually still stands up to the test of time, while retaining its 80s over-the-top charm. This film’s got some killer fight scenes also, most notably the bizarre one where a killer goalie plays ice hockey with Arnold and a bunch of other prisoners. There will always be a special place in America’s hearts for those 80s dystopian action movies that kill people in the most bizarre ways possible—as if taking out a gun and shooting someone in the face has become too trite in the future, 'till eventually you find yourself saying: “Hey, let’s play hockey with a guy until he dies from it!”

Last Action Hero (1993)

Role: Jack Slater/himself

I love Last Action Hero, despite its ridiculous premise. The only reason it doesn't get ranked higher is because I can watch it objectively and say that it's pretty damn infuriating. It’s Arnold poking fun at Arnold, with a special appearance from Arnold Schwarzenegger as Arnold Schwarzenegger. Last Action Hero just gave that “too soon” effect to an action star who was in his prime. When it comes down to it, you just shouldn’t try to fix something that’s not broken. That being said, this movie just nails it—it calls out every single cliche and trope in action movies and poor Arnold powers through it knowing damn well he’s the one who made all of it happened. Taking a step even farther back from my own bias, I can pinpoint my absurd love for this movie from one scene and one scene alone,yout when Arnold walks into his apartment, pulls out his gun, shoots at his closet, and says “There’s always a guy in there.”

Predator (1987)

Role: Major Alan "Dutch" Hauser

Predator has it all. We’ve got a crazy looking alien beast, we’ve got Arnold in the jungle, we’ve got Carl Weathers, we’ve got the only movie in the history of film to feature two pre-term U.S. Governors (Jesse Ventura, if you're wondering.) It’s impossible to get over a film like Predator. We’ll frankly never know if this film can stand up to the test of time, because it’s impossible to feel anything but giddiness watching it. The iconic scene where a mud-covered Arnold finds out Predator can’t see him when he’s covered in mud—you’d be crazy if you didn’t burst out with goosebumps the minute you see it! It’s hard to know if anyone liked the sequel to Predator with Danny Glover—wait, maybe I’m thinking of Lethal Weapon? I’m getting too old for this sh*t.

Total Recall (1990)

Role: Douglas Quaid/Hauser

I remember that my VHS copy of Total Recall broke from the amount of times I rewound it to watch the scene with the three-boobed woman. Classic. It’s actually hard to believe that this and Kindergarten Cop came out the same year, as the audience experiences two vastly different versions of Arnold Schwarzenegger: one with comedy chops and one who kicks ass. Total Recall was the kickass sci-fi movie of the early 90s until it was beat out by Terminator 2. It was a hardcore, grungy, twisted future where Martians were people and people were messed the hell up. So many good scenes come to mind—but one of the best is easily the one where Arnold emerges from his frumpy old lady mask and tosses it to a couple of guards. Colin Farrell tried with the remake of Total Recall—he really did—but you can’t beat the original.

Batman And Robin (1997)

Role: Mr. Freeze

Where Jingle All The Way was bad-bad, Batman & Robin is the complete opposite. It’s the most good-bad movie in the history of good-bad movies. Sure, it was a critical failure that’s since been renounced by its director, but hot damn what an entertaining film. It’s like they knew how much people love turning movies into drinking games. I mean, there’s just so much to talk about at every single minute of Batman & Robin—the nipples on the Bat-suit, the sexual tension between George Clooney and Chris O’Donnell, Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl! Most obviously, there are the killer ice puns which makes the entire movie worth watching many times over. “Tonight’s forecast: a freeze in coming.” Slow-clap for the writers who had a hand in making Mr. Freeze come alive—you did your best. You get a D, with an additional + for effort.

Kindergarten Cop (1990)

Role: Detective John Kimble

How do you even categorize a movie like Kindergarten Cop? How does such an idea come to fruition? One has to assume that the Hollywood executive who approved this pitch had consumed a ton of whatever the dude who pitched smoked. Regardless, it’s a movie that goes above and beyond its high-concept idea of an LAPD detective going undercover as a school teacher, and delivers a piece of work that’s actually pretty layered and interesting. It’s rife with quotable lines (“who is your daddy and what does he do?”) and keeps you guessing by infusing bits of comedy with scenes of action. Arnold kills it as Detective John Kimble, an oddly relatable cop who proves that everyone has a breaking point with noisy little children. One of the key scenes is when he tells his entire class to shut up, which is—of course—met by a chorus of tears and snot.

The Terminator (1984)

Role: The Terminator/T-800 Model 101

This is the role that set Arnold apart. He was cold, terrifying, and oddly adept at playing a robotic time-traveler with serious bloodlust. While this movie was—in my humble opinion—overshadowed by its sequel, The Terminator set the standard for that niche science-fiction/end-of-the-world genre and Mr. Schwarzenegger spearheaded that fire by providing the fuel. It’s pretty amazing that one man can play the same character twice, but leave two opposite lasting impressions on a viewer. His ruthless character in The Terminator makes the very same robot in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, seem like Charlie Brown. Pro-tip: if you’re planning on starting a revolution against an army of nearly-indestructible robots, make sure they don’t have time-travelling capabilities. Just saying.

True Lies (1984)

Role: Harry Tasker

True Lies is not just one of the best Arnold Schwarzenegger movies out there, it’s just one of the best movies ever made. Period. It’s got everything you need: action, adventure, explosions, a sexy striptease by Jamie Lee Curtis, and a goofy sidekick role fulfilled by the 90s Hollywood equivalent to dryer lint: Tom Arnold. This movie still stands to the test of time—it’s just as funny, ridiculous, and gripping as it was in 1994, and it even pokes fun at itself. The mid-90s were important years for Arnold—a time where he could objectively look at his career and figure out where he wanted to go next. You’ve got Last Action Hero, Twins, Junior, and True Lies to prove that this dude could do more than shoot a gun—well—shoot a gun with a straight face. True Lies is the finest amalgamation of adventure and comedy that didn’t skew too much in one direction and led Arnold down the road less traveled.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Role: The Terminator/T-800 Model 101

This is it, people. Terminator 2: Judgement Day is not only one of the best sequels out there, it’s one of the best action movies ever made. For their time, the special effects were completely insane (like T-1000 turning its arm into a knife) and the suspense changed the “on-the-edge-of-your-seat” game for the duration of the 90s. Arnold managed to make a character—whose intentions were actually good—pretty damn scary. Still, this was a different side of Arnold, a side that showed that this arguably one-sided actor had...dare I say...depth? Key scenes include the very end where he lowers himself into lava and flashes a thumbs-up to John Connor (sorry, spoiler alert) and the killer scene that never made it to theaters where the Terminator attempts to smile. If you haven't watched this in a while, drop everything and do it now.